Increasing studies have shown that mature spermatozoa contain many transcripts including mRNAs and miRNAs. However, the expression profile of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in mammalian sperm has not been systematically investigated. Here, we used highly purified RNA to investigate lncRNA expression profiles in mouse mature sperm by stranded-specific RNA-seq. We identified 20,907 known and 4,08...

Competition among sperm to fertilize oocytes is a ubiquitous feature of sexual reproduction as well as a profoundly important aspect of sexual selection. However, little is known about the cellular mechanisms sperm use to gain competitive advantage or how these mechanisms are regulated genetically. In this study, we utilize a forward genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans to identify a gene, ...

BACKGROUND Bovine BSP5 is a multifunctional protein primarily involved in sperm capacitation. BSP5 consists of long N-terminal part followed by two similar and highly conserved fibronectin type II domains designated A and B. METHODS In order to assess the role of these domains in the sperm binding and capacitation processes, we created recombinant individual domains (N, A, B), series of overl...

The sperm maturation and storage functions of the epididymis are important determinants of ejaculate quality, and perhaps provide an avenue to male contraception. In the last 50 years, the creation of epididymal fertility profiles in laboratory animals was followed by recognition of new sperm maturation-related parameters (organization of the acrosome, of the sperm plasmalemma, and -S-S- -based...

DJ-1 was first identified as an activated ras-dependent oncogene product and was later also found to be an infertility-related protein affected by sperm toxicants such as ornidazole (OR) and epichlorohydrin. These findings suggest that DJ-1 has functions in both somatic cells and sperm. In this study, to determine the relationship between DJ-1 and an endocrine disrupter and to determine the fun...

Genes expressed in testes are critical to male reproductive success, affecting spermatogenesis, sperm competition, and sperm-egg interaction. Comparing the evolution of testis proteins at different taxonomic levels can reveal which genes and functional classes are targets of natural and sexual selection and whether the same genes are targets among taxa. Here we examine the evolution of testis-e...

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) and its action by way of cAMP-dependent protein kinase is important for sperm motility. Previous studies on germ cells have demonstrated a selective decrease in the amount of type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase during spermatid development, and that type II was the major form present in elongating spermatids and in mature sperm. This would indicate activation of a gene in hap...

H uman sperm chromatin, and the sperm of most mammals, undergoes extensive remodeling during spermiogenesis during which 85%–95% of the histones are removed and replaced with protamines. The replacement of most histones with protamines facilitates a tighter packaging of the chromatin that is necessary for normal sperm function, and may help protect sperm DNA from damage during transport. An int...

Yeast has been a very helpful organism for centuries, especially with respect to fermentation of sugars and production of bread. However, for an even longer time, yeast has been a distant relative of humans having diverged from a common ancestor, about one billion years ago. More than one third of the yeast genes have human counterparts, despite this evolutionary distance. Yeast and human ortho...